Robert Bateman "Goldfinch with  Mullien"
This Artprint is:
NEW 
Hand Signed 
Limited Edition (#114/950) Offset Lithograph
Custom Framed in distressed off-white barnwood style  wood frame.
Double matted in cream and black.
Framed Size : 31" x 27"
Image Size: 18" x 22"
Hanging hardware included on back of frame
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"In this painting, I like the way the old leaves have a textured, sculptural quality that relates to the eroded embankment. The soft, adulatory forms of the grassy hillside are a backdrop to the sentinel-like ramrods of mature mullein stocks. Although many consider them just weeds, to me the mullein plants have the nobility of some ancient aristocrat. The goldfinch is not an afterthought. I put him in the painting partly to give scale, and partly because he is usually found in this type of habitat. I left the bottom unfinished because I enjoyed the sketchy quality of my brush strokes, and I liked the artistic element provided by the white negative spaces." - Robert Bateman
Food source: Goldfinches eat the seeds of the mullein plant, especially after the flowers have gone to seed. Mullein also hosts insects that provide a protein source for birds.
Perching spot: The tall, sturdy stalks of the mullein plant provide a convenient perch for birds to rest on while they look for food or survey their surroundings.
Aesthetic pairing: This pairing is often photographed and painted because it's a common and beautiful sight in nature, featuring the bright yellow of the goldfinch against the earthy tones of the mullein plant. 
Robert Bateman Biography
Born in Toronto, Robert Bateman has been a keen artist and naturalist from his early days. He has always painted wildlife and nature, beginning with a representational style, moving through impressionism and cubism to abstract expressionism. In his early thirties he moved back to realism as a more suitable way to express the particularity of the planet. It is this style that has made him one of the foremost artists depicting the world of nature.
In the '70s and early '80s, Robert Bateman 's work began to receive critical acclaim and to attract an enormous following. His work is in many public and private collections and several art museums. He was commissioned by the Governor-General of Canada to create a painting as the wedding gift for HRH The Prince Charles from the people of Canada. His work is also represented in the collection of HRH The Prince Philip, the late Princess Grace of Monaco and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. Robert Bateman has had many one-man museum shows throughout North America, including an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; most of these shows have drawn record-breaking crowds. His honors, awards and honorary doctorates are numerous; he was made Officer of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian award. He was awarded the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. He has also been the subject of three films and several video productions. Three books of his art, The Art of Robert Bateman , The World of Robert Bateman , and Robert Bateman : An Artist in Nature, have made publishing history. A fourth book of his art, Robert Bateman : Natural Worlds, focuses on the importance of natural and cultural heritage. Safari, an illustrated book for young readers, contains firsthand accounts and interesting facts about African wildlife. The book, Thinking Like a Mountain, details Robert Bateman 's environmental philosophies and observations and includes pencil sketches throughout.
It is in honor of his contribution to art and conservation that both a public school and a secondary school in Canada have been named after him. With a degree in geography from the University of Toronto, Robert Bateman taught high school for 20 years, including two years in Nigeria. He traveled around the world in a Land Rover in 1957/58, increasing his appreciation of cultural and natural heritage. Since leaving teaching in 1976 to paint full time, he has traveled widely with his wife, Birgit, to many remote natural areas.
Robert Bateman 's art reflects his commitment to ecology and preservation. Since the early '60s, he has been an active member of naturalist clubs and other conservation organizations. This involvement has increased in recent years and is now on a global scale. He has become a spokesman for many environmental and preservation issues and has used his artwork and limited edition prints in fund-raising efforts which have provided millions of dollars for these worthy causes. He says, "I can't conceive of anything being more varied and rich and handsome than the planet Earth. And its crowning beauty is the natural world. I want to soak it up, to understand it as well as I can, and to absorb it. And then I'd like to put it together and express it in my painting. This is the way I want to dedicate my work."